Donghak Peasant Revolution

Donghak Peasant Revolution
Hangul 동학농민운동 Hanja 東學農民運動 Revised Romanization Donghak Nongmin Undong McCune-Reischauer Tonghak Nongmin Undong

The Donghak/Tonghak Peasant Revolt was an anti-government, anti-yangban and anti-foreign uprising in Korea which was the catalyst for the First Sino-Japanese War. It was a religious and political movement directed at the Joseon dynasty with the intention of firstly establishing social reform and secondly to expel foreigners. Many Koreans despised Japanese and foreign enchroachments/influences over their land and the corrupt oppressive rule of the Joseon Dynasty. It would also be one of the series of events that would bring the Joseon dynasty to an end and to the establishment of Japanese rule over Korea.

Origins

The peasants of the Korean Peninsula, even before foreign intervention and the opening of Korea to the world, had become disillusioned with the rule of the upper yangban classes. During the 1800s, drought and floods alternately struck the rice fields and farms of Korea and caused great famines. Making the matter worse, the Joseon rulers increased taxes on farm crops and forced more free labor on the starving peasants. Anti-government and anti-landlord sentiment boiled over into violent uprisings.

In 1812, Hong Gyeong-nae led the peasants of Gasan in the northern part of Korea into an armed rebellion and occupied the region for several months. An army was sent to quell the rebellion and only after a savage scorched-earth campaign, the revolt was put down. All over Korea, all the way to Jeju Island, peasants continued to defy the king in Seoul, the local nobility and wealthy landlords.

In 1862, half a century after the peasant rebellion led by Hong Gyeong-nae was put down, a group of farmers in Jinju, Gyeongsang province, rose up against their oppressive provincial officials and the wealthy landowners. This uprising was the result of the exploitation of destitute farmers by the local ruler.

The rebels killed local government officials and set fire to government buildings. In order to appease the rebels the government hastily revised the land, military and grain lending systems. But, it was an ineffectual attempt at reform as many yangban in the central government were themselves deeply involved in such corruption.

The revolt in Jinju triggered peasant uprisings elsewhere all over Korea, groups of farmers rose up with arms and attacked government offices in principal towns. Many government officials were executed.

However the uprisings were generally crushed by government troops. In 1862, the peasants of San-nam and surrounding villages took up arms against the elite, but were brutally butchered by troops. In subsequent years, peasants rose up in small groups all across Korea until 1892.

The Birth of Donghak - Eastern Learning

Choe Je-U (최제우, 崔濟愚, 1824-1894) established the ideology of Donghak (Eastern Learning) in the 1860s with the intention to help farmers suffering from poverty and unrest and to restore political and social stability.

The Donghak ideology was a mixture of elements from Confucianism, Buddhism and Songyo (teachings of Shilla's Hwarang), modern humanistic ideas and elements that today may be considered marxist - the abolishment of the yangban classes etc. It resembled a religion as well as a political ideology. A rhetoric of exclusionism (from foreign alien influences) and an early form of nationalism were also incorporated.

Donghak themes were set to music so that illiterate farmers could understand and accept them more readily, his teachings were systematized and compiled as a message of salvation to farmers in distress. His ideas rapidly gained acceptance among the peasantry.

Choe, as well as many Koreans, was also alarmed by the intrusion of Christianity and the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing during the Second Opium War. He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in Korea was to introduce pro-democracy, establish human rights and create a paradise on earth - all working together and on their own without foreign influence or help.

Dong-hak was void of any organizational and tactical expertise, improvising as events occurred. No practical plans or visions were laid down as how one would go about establishing one, let alone what "paradise meant.

Nationalism and social reform struck chord among the peasant guerrillas and Donghak spread all across Korea like a prairie fire. Progressive revolutionaries waded in and organized the peasants into a cohesive fighting machine. As mentioned above peasants rose up in small groups all across Korea until 1892.

Foreign Intervetion

Joseon Korea had been under the suzerainty of Qing China for two hundred years (it was autonomous but paid tribute to China). Apart from this relationship with China, Korea was isolationist and many Koreans were xenophobic and wary of foreigners and foreign(barbarian) influence. After several certain attempts and diplomatic incidents involving the Russians, the French and the Americans, Korea was opened to foreign trade by the Japanese treaty of Treaty of Ganghwa in 1876. China lost its official suzerainty over Korea. Foreign legations were set up at Seoul and western ideas and customs were introduced into Korea.

Donghak Revolution of 1894

In 1892 the small groups of the Donghak movement were united into a single Peasant Guerrilla Army (Donghak Peasants Army). The peasants worked in the fields during the day, but during the night, they armed themselves and raided government offices, and killed rich landlords, traders, and foreigners. They confiscated their victims' properties and distributed them to the poor.

The founder of Donghak was Choe Je-u (1824–1894), who was executed as a criminal by the government. Then, the leadership was continued by Choe Si-hyeong.

The First Revolution

The Donghak Peasant Revolution (東學農民革命) or the 1894 Peasant War (Nongmin Jeonjaeng) witnessed poor farmers in large numbers rise up against the landlords and the ruling elite. The peasants demanded land distribution, tax reduction, democracy, and human rights. Taxes were so high that most farmers were forced to sell their ancestral homesteads to rich landowners at bargain prices. Landlords sold rice to the Japanese and sent their children to Japan to study. As a result, the peasant class developed intense anti-Japanese and anti-yangban sentiments. The rebellions' immediate cause was Jo Byong-gap, a government official whose rule was viewed by some as tyrannical and corrupt.

Korea began to modernize slowly. And, many Koreans did not like the foreign influences upon their country.

Progressive-mined yangbans, scholars, and nationalists also joined the army, the army was politically indoctrinated in Donghak (Eastern Learning). On January 11, 1894, by peasant leader Jeon Bong-jun (전봉준, 全琫準, 1854-1895) defeated the government forces at the battle of Go-bu, after the battle Jo's properties were handed out to the peasants.

The war went well for the peasants until March 13, 1894. The Army was eventually crushed by government troops led by Yi Yong-tae who killed and captured peasant guerrillas, burned villages, and confiscated the peasants' properties in Go-bu. However, the peasant army regrouped and started a new rebellion, news of the governments' actions in Go-bu help increase support among the peasants. The central figures were Jeon Bong-jun, Kim Gae-nam, and Son Hwa-jung.

Jeon's destroyed the feudalism and ejected covetous officials. Moreover, he and the peasant army occupied a Jeonju Palace at the beginning of May. Their goals was to be the land's institutional reform and covetous official expose demand of Joseon Dynasty. And to create social reform and the expulsion of foreign influences from Korea. In fact, in the peasant army, there was a poorer peasant than the Donghak believer. Meantime, the Joseon government army attacked Jeonju and both the Joseon government and the peasant army concluded an agreement. In advance, the peasant army dissolved an organization.

The peasants' marching orders were the following:

• "Do not kill or take the peasants' properties"
• "Protect the peasants' rights"
• "Drive out the Japanese and Western people and purify our sacred land"
• "March to Seoul and purge the government"

The Joseon government asked the Chinese government for assistance in ending the revolt. The Qing dynasty, after notifying the Japanese in accordance with the Convention of Tientsin sent troops into Korea. The Chinese initially did not wish to go to war with Japan but covertly, they desired to to re-assert their suzerainty over Korea which they had lost in preceding treaties and re-establish it as a vassal state. With the presence of some 3,000 Chinese troops the government authorities proposed a negotiated truce with the rebels. The Tonghak leadership regarded the government's willingness to listen as an opportunity to gain their objectives without continued warfare. The Chinese force no doubt had a demoralizing effect as well. With the end of the rebellion, however would come increasing tensions between China and Japan as neither China nor Japan wanted to evacuate Korea earlier than the other because of the mutual mistrust and hostility. Japan viewed the Chinese action as a threat to its national security and it inturn sent its own troops to Korea. They expressed doubts that the Chinese would be satisfied with suppressing the Rebellion and suspected they would want to stay in Korea and run things. The resulting tensions would lead to conflict, eventually becoming the First Sino-Japanese War.

The Second Revolution

While hostilties between China and Japan were begining to commence, a second uprising erupted in the Korean country-side against a new pro-Japanese government established in Seoul.

In late June of 1894, the pro-Japanese forces hatched a plan to wipe out the Peasant Army in co-operation with the Japanese troops stationed in Incheon and Seoul. On October 16, the Peasant Army moved toward Gongju for the final battle, which was a trap. The Japanese and the pro-Japanese government troops were in fact waiting for them inside.

A Japanese scroll records the defeat of the Donghak Army in the Battle of Ugeum-chi. The Japanese had cannons and other modern weapons, whereas the Korean peasants were armed only with bow and arrows, spears, swords, and some flintlock muskets.

The vigorous battle started on October 22, 1894 and lasted until November 10, 1894. The poorly armed peasants stormed the well-entrenched enemies about 40, but they were beaten back harder and had heavy losses. The remnants fled to various bases. The triumphant Japanese pursued the army and eventually wiped it out. Jeon Bong-jun, the Donghak commander, was captured in March 1895. In 1898, the execution of Choe Si-hyeong followed.

Aftermath

The rebellion was crushed, many grievances of the peasants would later be addressed through the Gabo Reform. The Korean Empire (Daehan Jeguk) would be established in 1897, Korea escapes endeavored from Japan.

However, foreign influence still would be a major aspect, with Japan and Russia later competing over Korea. In the coming years Korea would fall increasing under Japanese influence, and after the Russo-Japanese War, Russian influence would no longer be a factor in Korea. So, Korea ineffect would become a de-facto Japanese protectorate and later be annexed by Japan in 1910.

Sources and Notes

• Tonghak revolution and Chundoism[1]

See also

• Chondogyo
• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• Jeon Bong-jun

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